I'm More Feared Than A Sugar Hill Contract ... ?

Can we please, PLEASE get a proper expanded re-release of Beat Street on DVD / Blu Ray?? I, like many other movie watchers, frequent IMDB almost anytime I see a flick. The amount of tidbits in the trivia section for a movie is always a direct correlation of how many bonus materials / extras come with an expanded edition of a given title. How many times have you read the trivia on a movie and then seen a DVD featurette, only to realize all of the interesting facts in the extra were things you already read for free on IMDB? (End nerd-out paragraph here)

Beat Street re-releases have unfortunately never come with any notable bonus material, so there's not much to read on its IMDB page (although my boy Nick Sinista did point out that the dude who played Spit has been a stuntman for over 130 movies, including American Gangster, The Bourne Ultimatum, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Meet Joe Black, 8MM, Meet the Parents, Juice, King of New York, and No Country for Old Men. Crazy). Awhile back I noticed in the trivia section there was a paragraph that read:

About 80% of the footage in the original theatrical trailer is not included in the final cut. Examples include Ramón getting his bag ripped off while walking with Kenny and Charlie, several battle outtakes including the classroom up-rocking scene, Ramón on a set of drums, and one dancer flipping off against a wall at the Burning Spear nightclub. Several other pieces of footage were included as well but were in freeze frame in the opening credits of the film. The trailer also includes an alternate version of title song performed by Kool Moe Dee, (who appears in the film in the "Christmas Rappin'" sequence with the rest of the Treacherous Three), which also did not appear in the movie nor on the original soundtrack albums.

Out of control! A quick youtube search yielded the original theatrical trailer for the movie, and sure enough my mind was blown. An alternate title cut by Kool Moe Dee set to tons of scenes left out of the movie. Check it out below:

This gives new meaning to the term "teaser trailer." It appears that there is a PLETHORA of extra footage from this flick. I know that to the big wigs a movie like this isn't worth assembling an expanded special edition of, but hopefully, down the road, somebody will be in a position of power to swing something like that.

I wonder if that Kool Moe Dee title track had to be replaced by Jazzy Jay's Son of Beat Street because of some Sugar Hill contract issues? Wouldn't surprise me. As Treach (Naughty by Nature, not Treacherous Three) said,

"...I'm more feared than a Sugar Hill Contract..."

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Potholes in my Blog Evil in the Mirror Review

Ekon-El over at Potholes In My Blog put together this review of Evil in the Mirror last week.

Ekon-El, if you're reading this, I'm really happy you enjoyed the album and posted this write up! I was excited when I got linked to it!

Check it out HERE

Actually, I gotta reach out to Ekon-El over there. He quoted a line from It Ain't the 80s with me saying "Melle Mel said massa make slaves of us." It's actually "Melle Mel said Macs would make slaves of us," like computers, referencing Mel's Beat Street lyric:

"...and don't be a slave to no computer!"

But yeah, I'm being a dick, correcting a positive review. It's more about how I wouldn't use the word "massa." Anyways, check it out, they hooked it up!

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New Hip Hop Connection Will C. Feature

I don't have any b.s. excuses for me not updating this page for the past week or two. Sometimes I just go on hiatus.

I'll get back to this thing shortly. In the meantime, there's an article in the latest Hip Hop Connection talking about my album. I think the pages below will enlarge if you click on them.

I gotta thank the staff at HHC for putting together a dope write up! As for the Andre the Giant / Vince McMahon photo at the top? I just saw The Princess Bride for the first time this week. Well, the first time all the way through. I know, I know... I need an extremely late pass on that one.

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REMINDER- SHOW TONIGHT!

A friendly reminder about the show tonight. Be there!

8/8/2009 9:00 PM at No. 9 Ale House
118 Ferry St, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5622
Cost: $8

Live On Stage!!! MC Esoteric- Promoting his new album ’Saving Seamus Ryan’ Top Choice Clique- 'Reel Chemistry: The Anthology’ Available Now Will C. - Album Release Party For ’Evil In The Mirror’ 21+

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Life's A Switch

I almost like this song as much as Life's A Bitch. Is that not hip hop? Wait, how could it not be hip hop? I'm talking about two great rap groups here. I gotta banish those cynical rap demons I somehow picked up on my journeys. I think this remix might fly under the radar because Delicious Vinyl had some trouble with the Gap Band sample. All I know is my buddy Big Dan loves this song, and maybe you do too.

This is a quality remix. Dan and I were discussing how much we really appreciate when artists go the extra mile to rework a track. This is a totally different feel than the original. New vocal takes, the whole nine. Chilllllllll -

The Pharcyde- Runnin' (Jay Dee Remix)-

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Fuchs You!

So this is what the second Tuff City 12" sounds like?

A1 The Micronawts- Letzmurph Acrossdasurf (Club Mix - Dub Version)-




A2 The Micronawts- Letzmurph Acrossdasurf (Club Mix - Instrumental)-




B1 The Micronawts- Letzmurph Acrossdasurf (Radio Mix - Dub Version)-




B2 The Micronawts- Letzmurph Acrossdasurf (Radio Mix - Kwik)-

... huh.

That's not "huh" with a question mark, it's just a "huh."

Kinda posting on the fly today. However, I figured I'd share this, as I just picked it up in New Hampshire with that MC Breeze 12". Dub Mix was done by Afrika Bambaataa ("the peacemaker") according to the label, so that's pretty cool. Is that him talking off and on? Sounds like him. Well, it's no One For The Treble, but it's interesting to hear. This post isn't about me rambling and dropping much science... I'm pretty ignorant to this track, so I'll shut up. Freddy Fresh's The Rap Records Book (2nd Edition) says that there's a live kick drum layered over the TR808 kick to beef it up. Okay, so there's my tidbit. Well, his. Damn.

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Monkeyboxing w/ the Album Review

Peace to Tony for hooking this up.

The good folks at Monkeyboxing.com (who previously did a write up on Losers) have come through again and provided a review for Evil In The Mirror.

Check it out here.

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Bite This! Cover Versions

Almost immediately after Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 album cover was leaked online, people started saying it was a combo bite of a few different album covers, one being Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere

and the other being U2- No Line on the Horizon

I don't know the real deal, but I DO know that people love to talk about biting. They'd much rather choose to believe artists are ripping off each others work than give the benefit of the doubt and chalk these instances up to being mere coincidence. Sometimes it's a combination of both, other times people are subconsciously inspired by an idea they've seen. Whatever the case, biting in hip hop is amusing to many, so I wanted to put this stretch of a post together.

Here's some of the lesser known hip hop album cover "bites" :

Let's start with MC Breeze's It Ain't New York / Discombobulatorbulator / Another Sad Song 12" label

For awhile I was thinking this drawing looked real familiar. Then I remembered a poster I used to always see at a local shop as a youngster:

Perhaps MC Breeze was inspired by Robert Crumb's 1971 Stoned Agin! poster? They don't look identical, but I already said this is a stretch of a post, so give me a break here. Here's some audio from the 12":

MC Breeze- It Ain't New York-

MC Breeze- Discombobulatorbulator-

*Racism Alert*... Yikes-

MC Breeze- Another Sad Song-

For a little backstory on MC Breeze, check out THIS post at Unkut.com

Next up, we have the Planet Patrol Planet Patrol LP. Check it out

Looks pretty inconspicuous right? Look closer

No, closer

Wait a sec. Aren't those just a bunch of C-3PO action figures? Tisk tisk, George Lucas is getting swagger jacked. Is that an appropriate time to use that phrase? Is there ever an appropriate time to use that phrase? Yuck, even me making fun of the term seems overdone.

Planet Patrol- Play At Your Own Risk (Remix)-

Not gonna lie, this remix kind of creeps me out. It sounds like they're singing my name at the beginning.

"Willlllll, willlll, willllll"

In all honesty, Arthur Baker is a legend, and anything he had a hand in is usually quality. This is no exception.

Finally, we have the legendary cover to Clarence Reid's album, Nobody But You Babe.

I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty sure Tayster just put Clarence Reid's face on top of the below moon landing photo.

Notice the hand positioning is exactly the same. On another note, apparently Clarence Reid is the sex comedian Blowfly ??! Who woulda thought? Thanks again for another assist, wikipedia.

Clarence Reid- Nobody But You Babe-

In conclusion, if you haven't noticed, I mainly put this post together to share some audio from the aforementioned records. I just recently picked up a copy of that MC Breeze 12" in New Hampshire. My wild consumer imagination gave birth to relating this post of new audio to biting. Go easy on us artists. We like to steal shit... is that so bad?

Uh oh...

Bonus Round: Road Warriors (Legion of Doom) Vs. Demolition

Apparently, Vince McMahon assembled the tag team Demolition (Ax / Smash... and later, Crush!) to have his own version of the Road Warriors. At least, that's what wikipedia told me. Fucking biters.

When the Road Warriors came to the WWF in 1990 (as Legion of Doom), Demolition's popularity soon dwindled. That doesn't stop wrestling fans from STILL being pissed at Demolition for biting, just look at some of the youtube comments below this video.

"ugh road warrior rip offs so fucking gay"

You said it, coka 5841.

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